Dear O'Abby: What happens if my agency drops me?

Dear O'Abby,

There's been a whole lot of stuff flying around social media this week about a bunch of authors being dropped by their agency after an agent left.  It sounds like an awful situation to be in, and I'm wondering if you have any advice.  I'm not personally in this situation myself - I'm not even agented yet - but this news has brought it home to me just how vulnerable authors are, even when they have managed to get representation.  

How do you deal with something like this?

Cordially,

Vulnerable

Dear Vulnerable,

I too have been reading this news and feeling absolutely dreadful for those authors (and the agent in question too, to be honest).  A similar thing happened to me several years ago so I know just how devastating it is to suddenly find yourself adrift, with no agent and no time to prepare for that.  Particularly when you have a book out with editors, or just about to go out.

But, it isn't the end of the world, even if it does feel that way at the time.  Remember, your work is good enough that you got an agent in the first place and that's an encouraging sign.  Unless you're feeling so bruised and disillusioned about your agent experience (or your book is held up somewhere in submission hell with your old agent/agency) there's no reason why you can't jump right back into the query trenches.  If you're lucky, you will have done some edits with your agent and your book will be in an even better place than it was when you first queried it.  Most agents seem to be using Query Manager for queries these days and the form usually asks if you have been agented before.  Check yes and be proud of it, regardless how it ended.

You've done this before and now you've had some experience working with an agent, you probably have a much better idea what you are looking for in an agent.  Use this knowledge to your advantage when you're researching agents and when you have the call.  You know what works for you and what doesn't, so don't compromise.  You also have a far better idea what you want to ask this time around, so make sure you do that too.

If you are feeling too broken to dive back into the trenches, you don't have to right away or at all.  I know I was utterly traumatised by my agent experience and have only recently begun to feel ready to go back into that world after 6 years.  But having an agent isn't the only road to take.  You can self publish if you feel like that might be a good option for you or submit to a small/medium press that doesn't require an agent.  Always remember that it's better to have no agent than a bad one.  

It's your career and your work so you need to make sure whatever choice you make is right for you and maybe being agented isn't it.  It's not for everyone.  But if you do decide to go out again, my friend Dahlia has been through this too and has some very helpful advice here.

Authors can be vulnerable, but if you do your due diligence and make sure you get any contracts looked over by a good lawyer, you should be able to avoid some pitfalls.  

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby